Continuing on my Road Trip, but still close to home, I saw an exhibit at Sikkema, Jenkins & Co. in NYC showcasing the art of Mark Bradford, an American artist who just won a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. He uses mostly material that he finds on the streets of LA to create highly textured, abstract works. His process is about adding layers and tearing away to create what look like to me to be urban landscapes. Here are some examples, with close-up, detail shots included.
Take 1 minute and 34 seconds out of your day to view this video about Mark. I guarantee that many of his statements here will resonate deeply. After all, "This Ain't Trash...It's Art."
27 comments:
the video is wonderful and I can see why he won a fellowship!
Wow, Seth, for all us texture peeps this is fabulous! Love the video. How true! Yes, as they say, one man's trash... I laughed at the recollection of trying to bring home the trash! That's all of us out there, combing through other's leftovers, LOL!
Nice glimpse into the work. Thanks for sharing both the images & the video.
i am so drawn to the textural delapidated character pieces of old equipment and buildings...
i titally agree this IS art
i LOVE road trips
:)
Yeah, great video. Love the work up at Sikkema Jenkins. I'm still trying to convince my mom that it is in fact art and not trash!...which means I might have to take here there to see it for herself.
hmmm. back-up for those that call me a rubbish collector! YEAH!
Thanks for the share! Call me crazy- but textures make me purr!
Texture WOW Loving it!!
Nice nice nice! Love those textures, and I'd like to hang out with him!
The video and paper collages is wonderful-- another artist I have seen at this gallery is Leonardo Drew who has the largest assemblages I have ever seen-- of weathered wood boxes, rusty metal or cast paper-- incredible works on an extremely large scale. you are seeing some great art on your road trip.
"What I need is not here, so I just have to make myself available to the universe."........the best line I have heard in quite some time.
So...I needed something the other night, didn't have it and decided to re-do my disintegration project, yet again.......can you start a new column on your sidebar called "ever-afters"?
It's art! Love what he does with it! His work is very Seth isn't it? Thanks for sharing.
First off, I agree the fuel pumps are art, but not all by the hand of a human, for nature had much to do with how it looks today.
As for the images of the canvases the human mind first conceived of the idea and then acted upon it.
Unfortunately I too have been accused of bringing home trash, but once it was readopted into a new 'skin', it became art.
Thank you for sharing
Egmont
Well, that minute and 34 seconds went by fast. Love the closeups. Thanks, Seth.
wow, this is inspiring... and he just won a mac arthur fellowship - yes!!
Indeed: art!
What is that about you and my daughter- haha, you seem to have a similar taste.
Lately in the city of Lübeck, my daughter stood still in front of some old, weathered, half-teared placards and said: "Mama, this is art too!"
I just taught my first workshop over the weekend and talked a lot about being open to art leading you and the right pieces will find their way into your hands at the right time for a reason. This man was speaking my language. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the first image. Thanks for sharing your find with the rest of us!
Crystal
I so enjoyed the video, thank you! :)Bea
Wow Seth - I'm really enjoying sharing your road trip - those petrol pumps are great! dilapidation at it's best!
This reminded me of a line from Lily Tomlin's Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (dating myself?) She was portraying a homeless person and had 2 Campbell soup cans in her hands. She turns to one hand and says Soup? and then turns to the other Art? Soup? Art? Juggles and struggles deciding between the two.
A keen, artistic and sensitive eye can certainly distinguish.
Thanks for great posts.
Loved the video and your green gas pumps are the best! They look like they're right out of a movie set! Super road show!
Thanks for the wonderful video. Love the gas-pumps !
My Japanese son takes interesting photos of the detritus of human civilization on the landscape. I love his photos of rust... anything can be art if it means something to you.
SSSSSSSIgggggggghhhhhhhhhh
Seth
This is awesome. Really awesome. I am so inspired right now.
JP
Love this post. Sometimes you see pieces that make you kind of go "Gulp" in your insides. I've got heaps of projects on my desk and hundreds of things to do today, but seeing Mark's work has just reminded me of a drawing I made that involved tearing a lot of the surface away. thanks for an introduction to a new artist.
how many times,
how many times
that comment about Trash...
so nice!
i love the way his hands move, the way he touches his world...
so...soo...so enjoying you road trip.. some great works your sharing, inspiring us all. thank you I'm drawing to the gasoline pumps and the old truck outside and inside.
wow, thank you so much, seth. he's quite fabulous indeed! i loved the video too.
My family hears "Don't throw that away!!" from me too many times.
Amen.
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